Bank Swallow

Description
4 3/4-5 1/2". Sparrow-sized our smallest swallow. Brown above, dull white below; breast crossed by a distinct brown band; tail notched. Northern Roughed-winged Swallow is warmer brown, and has dusky throat and breast without distinct brown band.
Voice
Sharp, unmusical pret or trit-trit.
Habitat
Banks of rivers, creeks, and lakes; seashores.
Nesting
4-6 white eggs in a grass-and-feathers nest in a chamber at end of a deep tunnel that it digs near top of steep bank. Since it breeds in large colonies, nesting banks may sometimes appear riddled with holes.
Other
Bank Swallows originally nested only in steep, sandy riverbanks, but ,like other swallos, they have adapted to humans and now nest in the sides of man-made excavations. They breed in colonies of from two or three pairs to a few thousand. Most lay their eggs at the same time and thus later forage for their young at the same time. Such parents have an advantage: Swarms of flying insects are unevenly distributed and are more quickly located when many birds are searching together. The scientific name riparia is from the Latin word for "riverbank".
Picture
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